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Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Dwight Howard (shoulder) has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and will miss at least one week, Pau Gasol has a concussion and is out for several games, and Jordan Hill injured a hip and is also out several games.

The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).
I'm (maybe) back after being repetedly banned, merely for supporting a different NFL team than do certain forum moderators.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Gasol is a great player and he's going to beast when he leaves LA (which could be very soon, imo) but I would't do that deal.

As a fan who has watched most of the Laker games this season, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Pau's issues are physical at this point, not mental. He isn't able to get off the ground AT ALL, and his trademark soft touch, is noticeably awry this season as well.

Do i think he'd do better than what he's doing now if he could be traded to an Eastern Conference team? Yes I do (as long as that team had more of a bruising PF that could do the dirty work) But I think the days of Pau being an 18-11 guy are over. II could be wrong, but again this is coming from a Laker fan and observer who has watched him play all season long.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Dwight Howard (shoulder) has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and will miss at least one week, Pau Gasol has a concussion and is out for several games, and Jordan Hill injured a hip and is also out several games.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Because it would be really silly to try it. Nash does handle the ball a lot. They play well together. Sure, Kobe get's ISO's, but Kobe has been remarkably efficient on those ISOs so that's nothing to complain about. When Kobe gets ball dominant it's because he's suddenly in the game with Duhon or Morris.

Kobe has actually said he enjoys playing with Nash, because he actually learned to play off ball growing up. He looks fine off the ball, and Nash helps to give him breaks on offense. And as I said, if you take either one of them out of the game it all goes to crap. So you can't separate them for large portions of the game. (In fact, you can't take either of them out for large portions of the game.) That shouldn't happen on the Lakers. Pau and Dwight should be able to support the team enough to give those two a break. .

This. Everyone likes to paint Kobe as a "gunner", yet he's shooting a fairly high fg% this season, Anyone that has watched the Lakers realize that
1. Pau can no longer be a consistent low post threat
2. D12 is not a consistent scoring threat without outside shooters in the corners and wings
3. Nash is still a GREAT passer, but his scoring ability has decreased considerably.
4. No other perimiter player is a threat

So in essence, Kobe is the only bonafide scoring threat out there a lot of times. If he's shooting 48% from the field, why wouldn't you want him shooting more?

Unless they're able to trade Pau for some other assets, this season will be a disaster.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

There are a few possessions a half where D12 is on the bench and Pau is able to work the post. He get's bullied out of position, and as I've mentioned before he's moving slower than usual. He has to work so hard to get a good look at the basket, that by the time he is able to get his shot off, he's shooting everything short.

I'm thinking his knee's are bothering him more than he's letting on (maybe because he played so hard/well during the Olympics)

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Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

maybe it's just me but Grevis Vasquez is Troy Murphy esk in terms of putting up empty stats. I just dont see him bringing a positive impact like the #s suggest. We will see if he gets overpaid or not soon but im guessing NOLA still wants a starting caliber pg.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

As a fan who has watched most of the Laker games this season, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Pau's issues are physical at this point, not mental. He isn't able to get off the ground AT ALL, and his trademark soft touch, is noticeably awry this season as well.

Do i think he'd do better than what he's doing now if he could be traded to an Eastern Conference team? Yes I do (as long as that team had more of a bruising PF that could do the dirty work) But I think the days of Pau being an 18-11 guy are over. II could be wrong, but again this is coming from a Laker fan and observer who has watched him play all season long.

I have watched the Lakers for the majority of their games after Nash's return. Because a) I love Nash and b) I have Nash and Pau on my fantasy team.

I'm not a complete stranger to them. I agree that he seems to have physical problems. They are quite obvious given his injuries. His lift is just not there. He is almost plodding at this point bare some exceptions (his dunk against NYK for example). But he still has the skills he used to have. He is an excellent passer. He can still shoot the ball. He still has his post up game. His touch is worse this season but I'm quite confident that playing through plantar fasciitis and knee tendonitis are going to affect your FG %.

He may not be a 18 - 11 anymore. But I saw several of those physical limitations on last year's West as well. And he's a 17 - 8 guy for us this season.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

The Wizards, one of the weakest in the East, beats the Thunder, a top 3 team in the West.

The Wizards are making some surprise wins from time to time.

Brad Beal is starting to look like the #3 pick he looks so much more comfortable. I only caught the 1st quarter tonight but he looked like a lost puppy a month ago but now he is finding his game and playing confident, good 2 way guy.

also The Hornets are using EJ like the Rockets use Harden I cant imagine him being upset there he has the green light all the time and gets to run the show. He has always wanted to play pg and the Hornets are damn near playing him like a pg this year guess you gotta keep him happy and that proablly is their best offense.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

This. Everyone likes to paint Kobe as a "gunner", yet he's shooting a fairly high fg% this season, Anyone that has watched the Lakers realize that
1. Pau can no longer be a consistent low post threat
2. D12 is not a consistent scoring threat without outside shooters in the corners and wings
3. Nash is still a GREAT passer, but his scoring ability has decreased considerably.
4. No other perimiter player is a threat

So in essence, Kobe is the only bonafide scoring threat out there a lot of times. If he's shooting 48% from the field, why wouldn't you want him shooting more?

Unless they're able to trade Pau for some other assets, this season will be a disaster.

I'll say it once again, my friend. I've watched most of Nash's games with the Lakers after D'Antoni came to town. You have certainly watched more Lakers games than me since you also watched the Duhon / Morris games (which I mostly didn't watch) but I've watched the games with Nash.

So, let me answer to your observations in the same manner like you did.

1) We will never learn if Pau is going to be a consistent low post threat if D'Antoni has him wandering in the 3 point line.

2) Agreed. Dwight gets stripped most of the time or his fouled. He has cost Pau and Nash several assists simply because he brings the ball down and allow opponents to foul him.

3) Nash's ability to score hasn't decreased. He still puts up 10.2 PPG on 7.8 FGA. He's still shooting 52.9% from the field, 40.9% from 3 and 100% from the line. His field goal attempts have increased because he has so many good options around him and he's trying to feed the ball to them.

4) True. Meeks is very incosistent, MWP is just as crazy as always and don't even get me started about Duhon or Morris offensively.

Kobe is indeed shooting a good FG% this season. His efficiency is good for once so I'm not going to blame him for over-shooting. He still takes some "Kobe shots" but he hits them more often than not so I'll let it fly.

But he still does one bad thing (apart from D but that's something that most people in the Lakers do wrong). He takes the ball out of Nash's hands late in the game. The Lakers cannot afford to do this. Nash has to have the ball in his hands late in the game. Because the defense cannot predict what he's going to go. When Nash has the ball you have to guard everyone because you know that Nash will somehow hit them with a pass if they get open. You also have to guard Nash because if he beats you off the dribble, your defense will collapse and more options are going to be freed up. Then again, Nash could simply take and hit a jumper if you try to sag off him in order to stop penetration.

In other words, giving the ball to Nash opens all kind of options.

If the ball is in Kobe's hands everyone knows what it is going to happen. He's going to try and score. He has a lot of ways to score but he will certainly not the pass the ball. So, you can defend him more easily without having your defense be broken down.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Brad Beal is starting to look like the #3 pick he looks so much more comfortable. I only caught the 1st quarter tonight but he looked like a lost puppy a month ago but now he is finding his game and playing confident, good 2 way guy.

also The Hornets are using EJ like the Rockets use Harden I cant imagine him being upset there he has the green light all the time and gets to run the show. He has always wanted to play pg and the Hornets are damn near playing him like a pg this year guess you gotta keep him happy and that proablly is their best offense.

It currently works for the Hornets, so I think if they decided to go with that plan then it would be for the betterment of the team.

Beal has had a good string of games as of late. If Wall returns to full health, I don't think the Wizards will be bottom dwellers by next year. They'll be playoff contenders if Beal continues to grow as a go-to scorer and that whole team gets healthy.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

Unless something dramatic happens in Milwaukee -- and a change of circumstances is always possible in the NBA -- it does not appear that Scott Skiles will be back next season as coach.

Multiple league sources say that Skiles, who is in the final year of the five-year contract he signed in 2008, has informed the Bucks that he does not want a contract extension, and is resigned to the fact that he will be elsewhere next season.

The Bucks, sources say, have told Skiles to keep an open mind, and in case he has a change of heart, they would be willing to talk about another deal. Usually, teams that really want someone back -- a player, a coach, whomever -- figure out a way to make it happen. But the Bucks have done nothing substantive toward offering Skiles a new deal. Both sides appear willing to play out the season, and there is no animosity either way, sources said; Skiles is fond of owner Herb Kohl, and vice versa.

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Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

I don't blame Skiles, they have terrible management there in Milwaukee. They had a double double guy in Iyosova, and then go out and sign a bunch of other bigs and reduce his PT. They don't really have a direction. It seems like they go out and sign a bunch of mediocre players every year. John Salmons, Corey Magette....

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

I don't blame Skiles, they have terrible management there in Milwaukee. They had a double double guy in Iyosova, and then go out and sign a bunch of other bigs and reduce his PT. They don't really have a direction. It seems like they go out and sign a bunch of mediocre players every year. John Salmons, Corey Magette....

I agree with the bad management but reducing Ersan's PT is Ersan's fault the dude just isnt very good. Guy decided to play hard in a contract year and is now not playing hard. A good management team would of judged his character better and traded him instead of resigning him he clearly doesn't care this year.

John Henson is the best big on that team they should be playing him 30mpg he is a difference maker. If I was coaching that team Sanders and Henson would play a ton of minutes

Plus the got all those bigs before Ersan had his good year. Ersan only had one good year in a contract year it isnt like he lite it up for 3 or 4 seasons. But I do agree Hammond is one of the worst GMs in the league IMO.

Re: 2012-13 NBA Random Thoughts Thread IX: Ode to Joy

I don't blame Skiles, they have terrible management there in Milwaukee. They had a double double guy in Iyosova, and then go out and sign a bunch of other bigs and reduce his PT. They don't really have a direction. It seems like they go out and sign a bunch of mediocre players every year. John Salmons, Corey Magette....

You seem to be on the money with your post. You forgot bringing in Sam D. only to not play him. Then Gooden played the 5 well for them last season, but hasn't played much this season from injury.